2024-08-18 17:50:02
Arne Slot got off to a winning start at Liverpool as the Reds kicked off their 2024/25 Premier League campaign with a 2-0 victory over promoted Ipswich Town.
Ipswich impressed in flashes in their first Premier League match since 2002, but Liverpool ultimately had too much as the Slot era began with a comfortable triumph at Portman Road.
Liverpool’s goals came in quick succession, Diogo Jota opening the scoring on the hour with a composed close-range finish.
Having supplied the assist for the opener, Mohamed Salah then got in on the act himself in the 65th minute, and Slot’s side showed no sign of slipping up from there.
Liverpool host Brentford next weekend, while Ipswich have another tough task against champions Manchester City.
How the match unfolded
Jacob Greaves and Omari Hutchinson tested Alisson in Ipswich’s best openings of a stop-start first half, though a slack pass from Luke Woolfenden almost gifted Liverpool the lead – Christian Walton smothering the danger ahead of Luis Diaz.
Virgil van Dijk’s clumsy challenge on Liam Delap had Ipswich up in arms shortly after the restart, but the offside flag came to Liverpool’s rescue, with VAR confirming the assistant referee’s call.
But after that warning, Liverpool picked up the pace. Diaz skied over from close range, while Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister saw goalbound strikes blocked by Greaves and Woolfenden respectively, before Jota headed wide from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s delivery.
But Jota made no mistake from his next chance, coolly side-footing home after Salah had got in behind Leif Davis.
It was soon 2-0, with Salah poking beyond Walton from the edge of the six-yard box after slick combination play with Szoboszlai, and a comeback proved out of Ipswich’s reach.
Slot off to a strong start
Not since Gerard Houllier in 1998 had a Liverpool manager won their first Premier League match in charge, but Slot ensured that run did not continue.
He has huge shoes to fill in the wake of Jurgen Klopp’s departure, but the Dutchman will be happy with what he saw from his team in the second half.
Liverpool could not get into their groove before then, albeit while restricting Ipswich to little in the way of clear-cut chances, but they came into their own after the interval.
Salah, who was on the fringes of things out on the right flank in the opening 45 minutes, was integral, calmly laying it on a plate for Jota before he showed his clinical nature in front of goal to double the Reds’ tally. That was his ninth strike in an opening game of a Premier League season, a competition record.
There will certainly be some teething issues for Slot, whose team went close to a third late on through substitute Conor Bradley, but with such a depth of attacking firepower at Liverpool’s disposal, that quality should buy the former Feyenoord coach time to get his approach to click.
Encouraging signs for Ipswich
Pop superstar and minority Ipswich shareholder Ed Sheeran was on hand to take in the first half at Portman Road, and he will have been impressed with what he saw from Kieran McKenna’s men by the time he headed off at the interval – work commitments meaning he could not view the second half in person.
Ipswich certainly gave a good account of themselves prior to the break. They hassled and harried in midfield, sticking to their game plan and aiming to pounce on the counter when opportunities did come their way.
Indeed, had Hutchinson been able to generate more purchase and power on his attempt, which came at the end of a long run, then perhaps he would have been able to beat Alisson.
Yet last season’s surprise package in the Championship were, in the end, taught that in the blink of an eye, the best teams the Premier League has to offer can all but settle contests, and that is just what Liverpool did.
With Man City next up, life does not get any easier for the Tractor Boys, but this is the task ahead of them in the big time.
Club reports
Ipswich report | Liverpool report
What the managers said
Kieran McKenna: “I thought we were the more dominant team in the first half.”
Arne Slot: “The first taste [of Premier League football] in the first half was maybe as expected because they were all on top of us, very aggressive. Second half was a joy to watch.”
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Liverpool are now unbeaten in their last 12 opening matches in the Premier League (W9 D3), since a 3-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion in 2012-13 under Brendan Rodgers.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has now both scored and assisted in 32 different Premier League games, with only Wayne Rooney (36) doing so more in the competition’s history.
In his 350th appearance for Liverpool in all competitions, Mohamed Salah registered his 300th goal involvement for the club (212 goals, 88 assists).
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is now the outright leader for Premier League goals (9) and goal involvements (14 – also 5 assists) on MD1 in the competition.
